For most of us who care about ecology and the environment, there was some personal experience that brought us there. For me, it was wilderness hiking, beginning 30-plus years ago in the Grand Canyon and continuing across the American West. Two books helped instigate my journeys and those of thousands of fellow adventure-seekers and nature-lovers. The Welshman who wrote them, the intrepid and blessedly individualistic Colin Fletcher, died earlier this month, at 85. I can’t recall which I read first — The Man Who Walked Through Time, in which Fletcher chronicled his 400-mile hike through the Grand Canyon, or his compulsively detailed guide to backpacking, The Complete Walker. That’s probably because I read them both repeatedly and obsessively. Farewell, complete walker

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Like Charles Komanoff, I have a well worn copy of The Complete Walker on my bookshelf. While I am more of an ambler and never became a “Long Trekker”, I was always enthralled by Fletcher’s writing. I am sorry to hear he has made is last walk. Charles has posted a heartfelt memorial to an inspiration at Grist…Go check it out